As a group answer the following questions. Write your response after each question. Each group member can answer, change, and add to the response.
Why does the author use a “good” day as the subject of the novel?- Ivan had gotten two bowls of soup for breakfast and another two bowls of soup for dinner, that in itself was a true rarity. No one in his division was beaten by the guards that day. His squad leader had gotten them out of working at the socialist way of life, which would force them to work out in the could without a single place for warmth. Instead, the division was able to work in an area that had several places for warmth. A good day is used becasuse this is a prison camp, alot of stuff can go wrong, this shows how his life was horrible on a good day and let the reader think of what a bad day is like.
How is personal pride or dignity linked to material wealth in the camp? Is material wealth the only means of preserving personal pride or dignity? Why or why not? Explain how those prisoners who maintained their personal pride or dignity accomplish this. - For Shukhov, his personal pride is in his spoon that he had to secretly craft from scrap metal around the camp. The Baptist, Alyoshka, has the bible which he hides and that gives him spirutal wealth. Shukhov works hard on laying bricks, a craft that he learned inside the camp, and that gives him personal pride.
Shukhov believes that personal pride or dignity is necessary for long-term survival. Give a few specific examples that defend or refute his belief. (32) People who do not have personal pride often do lower jobs, and humans need pride and dignity to not become corrupt with saddness or hatred.
Under what circumstances do the ethnic difference seem to dissolve within the camp? Ethnic Differences seem to dissolve when everyone bands together and tries to make to job a little easier and help each other out. Everyone of the prisioners has to do roll call, and all prisoners are searched by the guards.
Identify the prisoners who were corrupt by power given to them by the institution.
The Limper was a man who worked in the mess hall and was considered "deformed" by the guards. When the guards decided that they would change a rule that would allow
Any one who did easy tasks for(cooks, Guards....) and was rewarded with extra food at the expense of the prisoners who did hard work all day.
Draw an organizational chart that reflects the chain of command within the novel.
Guards
Squad Leader
Prisoners
Concept Tracing
For each section in the novel, trace the development of the following concepts – work, authority, and survival. As you trace them, begin to analyze the significance of the concepts. If someone already posted “your idea,” try to add something too it. Don’t simply post the same thing. You may edit, add to, revise, etc. your group’s page only.
Work
Authority
Survival
Section 1: page 1-28
In the morning for the prisoners, they wake up at reveille and can be subject to do certain tasks such as cleaning out the latrines and often doing work for other prisoners to earn some food or other objects of desire. Sometimes, working for the guards in the morning means not doing your best work. The guards do not wish for quality, they just want the work to be done. When working, you were supposed to become warm while doing work in negative 17 degree weather without ample heat. They wake up at O dark thirty and are working right away doing simple tasks before going out to the main assignment.
The Authority is given to the Russian guards who have control over the prisoners. Sometimes, they hackle prisoners for their own fun and amusement, and often make prisoners do simple tasks that the officials did not want to do. The guard only allowed you to have one pair of boots (11), and would only allow prisoners to write to their families twice a year.
In a Russian Camp, an easy way to survive is to do what you are told. It does not matter about how you feel that day, or if you do not want to do your work. All prisoners only have one pair of shoes, thus if you do not get them wet, there may be less of a chance for hypothermia . When you are given breakfast, no matter how disgusting or cold, eat the food. There is not enough food to feel full, so the prisoners must eat what they can and then also hide what they can. Tailoring a pocket for bread is a novel idea. The most important idea of survival is that you must survive on your own. No one can trust anyone except themselves. If you put trust into everyone, it can cause misery, even death. Having some communication with other prisoners is helpful so that people can survive in a pack.
Section 2: page 29-57
In prison camps, the prisoners had to work outside or in unfinished buildings (31). When the prisoners were building things and needed tools, they had to go to the wearhouse and Sometimes people would hide the instruments that they wanted so that they would not get a worn tool. Most prisoners were war criminals that "conspired" or spied against Russia, and were sentenced to either eight or ten years in prison. Often the prisoners worried about being forced to work for extra years though, and not getting their rights from the prison camps. Many times, doing hard work will not always pay off, it depends on the person who is in charge (44)KARENLOOKATTHESENTANCEBEFORETHIS
The guards do roll call every morning. During Roll Call, the prisoners form ranks of five. Sometimes, strip searches are done to install worry, and often people are beaten for having wrong items, or are put into the guardhouse after their work was done, and were only allowed to write to their families twice a year (32). People were broken that felt that they were worth more than the system was giving them, in this sense it was better to submit than to fight the system, because you ended up in worse condition and with less materials for survival (41). Authority among your own squad was earned by likability (53).
Shukhov has hopes about the future that allows his mind to wander and believe that there is a future beyond the prison (32). A good squad leader was essential to survival, that way, your work was done but you still had dignity and pride (36). Shuckov learned that one should eat with his mind only on his food (40). A veteran at surviving in labor camps said to leave your pride behind (41). Survival doesn't always mean conforming to the rules (46-7). You need to be cunning to survive (50).
Section 3: page 58-86
Collaboration is an important part of work. All members must do a job in where they are stationed. If they do not work, they will receive no food, and also would be beaten. Sometimes, it is also important to improvise, if the machinery did not work in the building, the squad had to deal with it and often do certain things by hand, such as carrying mortar and blocks up to a second floor and
The authority of the guards is hated by the prisoners. Squad leaders can motivate their squad to work during breaks while guards can't get them to work during working hours.It can be rather easy to fool the chefs that give the prisioners food. Shukhov tricks the chef into thinking that he was missing two bowls of soup for his squad.
While working, you must do everything you can to stay warm. Working up a sweat is a novel idea
Section 4: page 87-116
When work was over, you had to report outside and the guards did another roll call. It was a crime to report late because the guards had no way of knowing if the prisoner was attempting an escape
Do not be late to the end of work. If you are late to the end of the day, you have more of a chance of getting your throat cut by the other prisoners because they cannot leave until everyone has been though roll call. Make sure to hide any piece of metal that you find so that when the guards search you for the night, they will not find that piece of contraband. Also, pick up any piece of wood that you find that can light a fire in your barrack, because even if it does not go though the search, someone's piece of wood will.
Section 5: page 117-142
In the free time the workers would do work on the side and make gadgets to sell to others, or keep for themselves to make life in the work camp better.
The small amount of free time at the end of the day allows the prisoners to survive. They can buy tobacco for their smoking addiction, and could mend others clothing for money that they then could purchase things from the store shop.
Work Sheet Questions:
Plot
(Pick 3 of 7)
#1 - The structure of the novel with no chapters reflects the plotline well by showing that the whole book takes place in one day, all at one time. Chapters would show separation, and this book is almost constant in the conflicts and suspension.
#6- The author uses a "good" day as the subject of the novel to show just how bad the camps are. If he had chosen a bad day in the camp, a reader could misconstrue the atrocities that these camps inflected on a prisoner even on a good day. By showing a good day, the author shows how there is never a "good" day, just one that isn't as bad as the others. To heighten the effect, the author also shows that there is no way of getting around the faults in the camp system, like the guards counting.
#4 - The author's style of writing reflects the bitter cold in this novel. It does this because in the novel, the author doesn't display many feelings. When in the cold, a person acts on automatic. This has a relation to the text because the text has an almost automatic feeling to it such as when he is laying blocks in the camp. Also when a person is very cold their mind tends to wander, the text also complements this. When Ivan is on his first march (the one to the power station) he is zoning out and thinks about carpent making, and how he would hate it as a proffession. This shows that the author does a good way of exampling the effects of the bitter cold in his writing style.
Characterization
(Pick 6 of 12)
#15 - Shukhov takes pride in his work because he knows it is done right, the rewards of this work will help him survive easier. When Shukhov comes back from his work at the power station he is given extra food because of his hard effort. Shukhov knows that working hard will pay off somehow, either by befriending his squad leader or by extra rations. The whole squad benefits from Shukhov's work ethic because it increases production and may increase other people's rations.
#18- I would chose Tiurin, Tsezar, Shukhov, and Alyoshka. I would take Tiurin because he is strong, protective, and heroic. He is physically in good shape so he would be able to help with lifting easy, and he would also be a good person to look over lesser people in the squad. He would also be a good motivator in terms of keeping men on the job too. I would take Tsezar because he gets regular packages of food and has a more comfortable environment around the camp. Since he has packages of food normaly he would be a helpful person to have around when there is a shortage of food for those who are just scraping by, since he would still be in good health. I would take Shukhov because he is self-sufficient, he works hard, and he is hardly ever in trouble. Finally I would take Alyoshka because he is a person who manages to transcend reality in his bible. He balances out everyone elses very robust natures and sort of agressive attitudes. He would be the man that would yield to other's thoughts.
#16- Tiurin is a good leader because of his heroism, personability, and unyielding nature. Tiurin has very much heroism in his actions, especially when he hands in a report that the men have done a lot before dinner, when all they really did was adapt the power station to fit the needs of the men. He does this by punching him and asserting his physical dominance over Fetiukov. Tiurin is very personable if one works. Shukhov holds a good relationship with Tiurin because he is a good worker, Fetickov, on the other hand, does not. Finally Tiurin has an unyeilding nature that all leaders posses. He demonstrates this by keeping Fetickov in line with a single punch (at the power station). Overall Tiurin is an effective leader.
#?
#
#?
Theme
(Pick 5 of 11)
#21 - The first and most important thing to realize at the camp is that one should not stick out. If you stick out then its either for a bad reason and all the zeks will be punished for your mistake, or you will stick out and be a hero to some and the guards will knock you down. Another rule is that one should take everything you can get. This is shown by Shukhov because he takes all of the food he can get and he puts it all to good use. The last rule would be to always help the other zeks out if you can. This is a good way to get connections and you might be able to get some help from them when you really need it.
#26 - Pride is nescessary for long term survival because if you don't have pride, you start to slack and not do your work as well, and at that point you will get in trouble, not only from the guards but from your fellow squad mates. You need to have dignity to survive because if everyone starts hassling you, you will get down and not do work.
#28 - Ethnic differences dissappear when everyone is united, such as the prisoners banding together to make everyone's life a bit easier and a bit more enjoyable. Another example is when the worker fell asleep at the end of the day, everyone else no longer hated each other because of ethnic groups, but they now hated the worker who fell asleep.
#30 - The man at the entrance to the mess hall was corrupt by the power given to him because he was to keep people off the porch, however he felt it fit to beat people who went on the porch. Anyone who was given an easy job (cleaning plates, helping cooks, staying in the office to stay warm) was corrupt because they were rewarded (warmth, extra food) while the rest of the squads suffered.
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
As a group answer the following questions. Write your response after each question. Each group member can answer, change, and add to the response.
- Why does the author use a “good” day as the subject of the novel?- Ivan had gotten two bowls of soup for breakfast and another two bowls of soup for dinner, that in itself was a true rarity. No one in his division was beaten by the guards that day. His squad leader had gotten them out of working at the socialist way of life, which would force them to work out in the could without a single place for warmth. Instead, the division was able to work in an area that had several places for warmth. A good day is used becasuse this is a prison camp, alot of stuff can go wrong, this shows how his life was horrible on a good day and let the reader think of what a bad day is like.
- How is personal pride or dignity linked to material wealth in the camp? Is material wealth the only means of preserving personal pride or dignity? Why or why not? Explain how those prisoners who maintained their personal pride or dignity accomplish this. - For Shukhov, his personal pride is in his spoon that he had to secretly craft from scrap metal around the camp. The Baptist, Alyoshka, has the bible which he hides and that gives him spirutal wealth. Shukhov works hard on laying bricks, a craft that he learned inside the camp, and that gives him personal pride.
- Shukhov believes that personal pride or dignity is necessary for long-term survival. Give a few specific examples that defend or refute his belief. (32) People who do not have personal pride often do lower jobs, and humans need pride and dignity to not become corrupt with saddness or hatred.
- Under what circumstances do the ethnic difference seem to dissolve within the camp? Ethnic Differences seem to dissolve when everyone bands together and tries to make to job a little easier and help each other out. Everyone of the prisioners has to do roll call, and all prisoners are searched by the guards.
- Identify the prisoners who were corrupt by power given to them by the institution.
The Limper was a man who worked in the mess hall and was considered "deformed" by the guards. When the guards decided that they would change a rule that would allowAny one who did easy tasks for(cooks, Guards....) and was rewarded with extra food at the expense of the prisoners who did hard work all day.
Concept Tracing
For each section in the novel, trace the development of the following concepts – work, authority, and survival. As you trace them, begin to analyze the significance of the concepts. If someone already posted “your idea,” try to add something too it. Don’t simply post the same thing. You may edit, add to, revise, etc. your group’s page only.Work Sheet Questions:
Plot
(Pick 3 of 7)
#1 - The structure of the novel with no chapters reflects the plotline well by showing that the whole book takes place in one day, all at one time. Chapters would show separation, and this book is almost constant in the conflicts and suspension.
#6- The author uses a "good" day as the subject of the novel to show just how bad the camps are. If he had chosen a bad day in the camp, a reader could misconstrue the atrocities that these camps inflected on a prisoner even on a good day. By showing a good day, the author shows how there is never a "good" day, just one that isn't as bad as the others. To heighten the effect, the author also shows that there is no way of getting around the faults in the camp system, like the guards counting.
#4 - The author's style of writing reflects the bitter cold in this novel. It does this because in the novel, the author doesn't display many feelings. When in the cold, a person acts on automatic. This has a relation to the text because the text has an almost automatic feeling to it such as when he is laying blocks in the camp. Also when a person is very cold their mind tends to wander, the text also complements this. When Ivan is on his first march (the one to the power station) he is zoning out and thinks about carpent making, and how he would hate it as a proffession. This shows that the author does a good way of exampling the effects of the bitter cold in his writing style.
Characterization
(Pick 6 of 12)
#15 - Shukhov takes pride in his work because he knows it is done right, the rewards of this work will help him survive easier. When Shukhov comes back from his work at the power station he is given extra food because of his hard effort. Shukhov knows that working hard will pay off somehow, either by befriending his squad leader or by extra rations. The whole squad benefits from Shukhov's work ethic because it increases production and may increase other people's rations.
#18- I would chose Tiurin, Tsezar, Shukhov, and Alyoshka. I would take Tiurin because he is strong, protective, and heroic. He is physically in good shape so he would be able to help with lifting easy, and he would also be a good person to look over lesser people in the squad. He would also be a good motivator in terms of keeping men on the job too. I would take Tsezar because he gets regular packages of food and has a more comfortable environment around the camp. Since he has packages of food normaly he would be a helpful person to have around when there is a shortage of food for those who are just scraping by, since he would still be in good health. I would take Shukhov because he is self-sufficient, he works hard, and he is hardly ever in trouble. Finally I would take Alyoshka because he is a person who manages to transcend reality in his bible. He balances out everyone elses very robust natures and sort of agressive attitudes. He would be the man that would yield to other's thoughts.
#16- Tiurin is a good leader because of his heroism, personability, and unyielding nature. Tiurin has very much heroism in his actions, especially when he hands in a report that the men have done a lot before dinner, when all they really did was adapt the power station to fit the needs of the men. He does this by punching him and asserting his physical dominance over Fetiukov. Tiurin is very personable if one works. Shukhov holds a good relationship with Tiurin because he is a good worker, Fetickov, on the other hand, does not. Finally Tiurin has an unyeilding nature that all leaders posses. He demonstrates this by keeping Fetickov in line with a single punch (at the power station). Overall Tiurin is an effective leader.
#?
#
#?
Theme
(Pick 5 of 11)
#21 - The first and most important thing to realize at the camp is that one should not stick out. If you stick out then its either for a bad reason and all the zeks will be punished for your mistake, or you will stick out and be a hero to some and the guards will knock you down. Another rule is that one should take everything you can get. This is shown by Shukhov because he takes all of the food he can get and he puts it all to good use. The last rule would be to always help the other zeks out if you can. This is a good way to get connections and you might be able to get some help from them when you really need it.
#26 - Pride is nescessary for long term survival because if you don't have pride, you start to slack and not do your work as well, and at that point you will get in trouble, not only from the guards but from your fellow squad mates. You need to have dignity to survive because if everyone starts hassling you, you will get down and not do work.
#28 - Ethnic differences dissappear when everyone is united, such as the prisoners banding together to make everyone's life a bit easier and a bit more enjoyable. Another example is when the worker fell asleep at the end of the day, everyone else no longer hated each other because of ethnic groups, but they now hated the worker who fell asleep.
#30 - The man at the entrance to the mess hall was corrupt by the power given to him because he was to keep people off the porch, however he felt it fit to beat people who went on the porch. Anyone who was given an easy job (cleaning plates, helping cooks, staying in the office to stay warm) was corrupt because they were rewarded (warmth, extra food) while the rest of the squads suffered.